Madrid-Travel

[Rjk]

Re: Madrid-Travel

I've been living in Barcelona over 20 years, tourists things speak for themselves but if you have specific's (good food, cocktails, jazz music, getting high etc) i can help. If you let me know your neighborhood maybe can point out some food places or points of interest.

If you have interest in the Spanish War I know an excellent walking tour (same for Madrid) that isn't your typical style of pointing at landmarks and spitting dates.

If you do do tourist things, buy tickets and go early, public transport to move around, and pick pocket are a ****ing scourge, however only seems to be idiots that it happens too!

I've not booked the accommodation yet, just flights, any pointers you can give food wise would be great - not looking for michelin star stuff, maybe some seafood etc

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: Madrid-Travel

I've been living in Barcelona over 20 years, tourists things speak for themselves but if you have specific's (good food, cocktails, jazz music, getting high etc) i can help. If you let me know your neighborhood maybe can point out some food places or points of interest.

If you have interest in the Spanish War I know an excellent walking tour (same for Madrid) that isn't your typical style of pointing at landmarks and spitting dates.

If you do do tourist things, buy tickets and go early, public transport to move around, and pick pocket are a ****ing scourge, however only seems to be idiots that it happens too!

Tell us about how you ended up in Barcelona, old fruit. Sounds like an interesting back story.

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Tell us about how you ended up in Barcelona, old fruit. Sounds like an interesting back story.

Sadly not that interesting, met a Catalan lady in Glasgow University and chanced my luck. Still together, kids, the lot!! Tired of the city now, just hanging on to till the kids fly the nest before moving up to the Costa Brava.

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

I've not booked the accommodation yet, just flights, any pointers you can give food wise would be great - not looking for michelin star stuff, maybe some seafood etc

Will get back to you with some strong recommendations

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Sadly not that interesting, met a Catalan lady in Glasgow University and chanced my luck. Still together, kids, the lot!! Tired of the city now, just hanging on to till the kids fly the nest before moving up to the Costa Brava.

Well that sounds pretty interesting to me :-) Are you able to declare how you earn a crust out there?

[blue lewj]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Well that sounds pretty interesting to me :-) Are you able to declare how you earn a crust out there?

Pickpocketing

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Pickpocketing

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Well that sounds pretty interesting to me :-) Are you able to declare how you earn a crust out there?

Bullshit jobs to be honest, nothing to what i studied. Worked 5 jobs since being here, only 1 was a local company going global, the rest are US and Swiss companies mainly.

Currently in a huge US IT company, helping them in-source what was previously serviced in Malaysia, was easy street that got complicated very quickly as our biggest centre was in Russia (previously acquired company). Effectively lifted about 300 plus people out (with their families and pets) to centres in Spain, Canada, Australia and Bulgaria. But if it was to disappear overnight, nobody would notice. As Murray Bookchin said:

while Social-Democratic and Communist theoreticians babbled about a society with "work for all," the Dadaists, those magnificent madmen, demanded unemployment for everybody.

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Pickpocketing

Market is saturated!

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Bullshit jobs to be honest, nothing to what i studied. Worked 5 jobs since being here, only 1 was a local company going global, the rest are US and Swiss companies mainly.

Currently in a huge US IT company, helping them in-source what was previously serviced in Malaysia, was easy street that got complicated very quickly as our biggest centre was in Russia (previously acquired company). Effectively lifted about 300 plus people out (with their families and pets) to centres in Spain, Canada, Australia and Bulgaria. But if it was to disappear overnight, nobody would notice. As Murray Bookchin said:

while Social-Democratic and Communist theoreticians babbled about a society with "work for all," the Dadaists, those magnificent madmen, demanded unemployment for everybody.

Well your history sounds pretty interesting to me :-)

[Des Parrot]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Very much depends on your interests. If the Nazi period is your main interest then Topography of Terror, the Berlin Bunker and a tour of Tempelhof Airport are worth doing. The Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg Gate is very moving - especially the exhibition underneath.

If it is the Cold War and the wall then the Wall Museum on Bernauer Strasse, the Palace of Tears at Friedrichstrasse Station - this was one of the few places where East Germans could cross in West Germany and you can still see the doors they used to go through. The East Side Gallery is a bit disappointing. It is at one of the few remaining bits of wall left and has the famous painting of Honecker and Brezhnev kissing. Much of where the wall stood is marked by a line of cobbles in the road/pavement - easily seen in front of the Brandenburg Gate and down to Potsdamer Platz. The DDR museum is small, but excellent and shows life as it was in East Germany until the wall came down - it was a planned economy without a real plan. The Checkpoint Charlie museum is a commercial one and pretty good. Checkpoint Charlie itself is a bit disappointing, because it is not the original building.

If you are into technology the German Technical Museum is brilliant. For general German history the national museum is excellent as are all the museums on Museum Island. If you are into Egyptology then the famous bust of Nefertiti is in the Neus museum.

Just wandering round Berlin is good as well - such as walking from the Brandenburg Gate along Unter den Linden to AlexanderPlatz. The city itself is enormous and many of the sites are quite a long way apart. However the public transport is brilliant. One thing that is interesting is that the trams are only in what was old East Berlin. West Berlin ripped them all up. The centre of what was West Berlin is mainly along the Ku'Damm which is a couple of miles from the Brandenburg Gate. Most of the best things to see are in what was East Berlin.

Thanks, excellent feedback. We’ll plot a course thru your recommendations

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Thinking of going there end of April for three days, people's thoughts please on almost anything and everything. Warts an all, food, culture, atmosphere etc... Cheers in advance.

Go! Immediately

It’s my favourite city in Spain. The food is amazing, it’s just tapas mad and it’s cheap, there’s loads to do. If you find food is expensive, you’re looking in the wrong place! Just get prepared to have your evening meal late, and I mean really late! The museums can be free to go into, both Reina Sofia and Prado are musts in my opinion. 3 days is good, I would really recommend having a day trip to Toledo as well. It’s 45 ish mins on the train, and it is a fascinating place.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: Madrid-Travel

same question but for Barcelona, as I'm going there for 3 days end of April

I’ve never had an issue in Barca but you have to be aware of pickpockets and stay in the right places. It is a great place but be aware, there are loads of tourist traps. Do Sagrada and Gaudi stuff, they’re great. I went with my partner in 2022, and we got in the same day but it might be worth booking a bit more in advance, as when I went to SF in 2018, we had to book 2 days in advance! You’ll have a great time!

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Well your history sounds pretty interesting to me :-)

Yeah, work is the least interesting part of the whole 20 odd years, but its a fantastic country and people (Catalans and Spanish), like most places has its issues and not perfect, but as a well traveled man yourself, sometimes you just fit in a place instantly and recognize it.

Soft day in work tomorrow as the rest of Spain are off so will get the restaurants and bars

[OurManFlint II]

Re: Madrid-Travel

Hey, these might not be the best, but they are the ones we use. Most will need a reservation. Let me know if you need anything else


Fish / Paella

Ca la Nuri

https://restaurantcalanuri.com/

Barraca

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d4420848-Reviews-Barraca-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Italian
DONKILO RESTAURANT
Donkilo Restaurant – DonKilo
donkilobarcelona.com

Al Passatore – Not super special but we’ve be going over 20 years

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d697404-Reviews-Al_Passatore-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Tapas
La Pepita

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d2151085-Reviews-La_Pepita-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

Bodegueta (La Bodegueta) (go inside, outside for tourists)
LA BODEGUETA, Barcelona - Rambla de Catalunya 100, La Dreta de l'Eixample - Menú y Precios - Tripadvisor